Janelle Monae has come out of the closet and said she considers herself as a pansexual.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the 32-year-old actor-singer, who initially identified herself as bisexual, said she is a "queer black woman".
"Being a queer black woman in America, someone who has been in relationships with both men and women - I consider myself to be a free-a** motherf**ker... But then later I read about pansexuality and was like, Oh, these are things that I identify with too.' I'm open to learning more about who I am," Monae said.
The singer, whose new visual LP 'Dirty Computer' released today, said she has always sidestepped questions on her sexual orientation but alluded to the status in her songs.
Citing "Mushrooms & Roses" and "Q.U.E.E.N." as examples, Monae said, "If you listen to my albums, it's there."
The singer points out reference to a character named Mary as an object of affection in the song "Q.U.E.E.N." She also revealed that the original title for "Q.U.E.E.N." was "Q.U.E.E.R."
Monae said she was insecure about living up to the set roles in the showbiz, so she used the androgynous outfits, among other things, to guard herself.
"It had to do with the fear of being judged. All I saw was that I was supposed to look a certain way coming into this industry, and I felt like I (didn't) look like a stereotypical black female artist," she said.
The singer is rumoured to be in a relationship with Tessa Thompson, "Thor: Ragnarok" actor, who has featured in her songs such as "Yoga", "Make Me Feel" and "PYNK".
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